Our work with residents

Federation takes up cause of East End Homes residents

During the Housing Choice process, Tower Hamlets Council aimed to offer residents a choice not only between new landlords but also between different kinds of landlords. (Whether the Council was successful in that aspiration is a different story.)

To that end, the Council set up East End Homes, a housing association established on the “community gateway” model. East End Homes was not only to be a landlord, but was also given the job of empowering residents. To that end, the East End Homes Ltd was a company which residents and members of the public could become members of. Unfortunately, East End Homes did not recognise this was the case, and for many years it refused to admit residents as members of the company. When its own solicitors finally advised it to do so, it did open a membership scheme – which it immediately suspended. It then went on to abolish the membership scheme after a token attempt at consultation which even the Council said was wholly inadequate.

Now the Federation is starting a project to explore what East End Homes residents really want from their landlord – and if they are happy with the way residents have been removed from the formal structures of the company. Where East End Homes refused to conduct any meaningful consultation, the Fed will step in and involve all residents in planning for their futures.

We don’t entertain much hope that this will be welcome news for East End Homes. However, we hope that residents will seize this opportunity – which they were promised, but which was never delivered – to shape their own futures.

If you would like to know more about this project, please contact us [email protected]